Capitol Reef Colors

Hiking through Capitol Reef National Park I was surrounded by the beautiful colors unique to the Waterpocket Fold. The lush green Fruita valley is dwarfed by the soaring red rock reef which then gives way to an intense blue of the dry desert sky. This piece lets me surround myself with these colors during the blahs of March. This artwork was produced under the Artist in Residence Program at Capitol Reef National Park. #artistinresidence #capitolreefnationalpark #knitting

Strike Valley

Strike Valley can be seen from a spectacular overlook in Capitol Reef National Park. It is named for the geological feature where a valley runs parallel to the strike of underlying rocks. From the overlook, you can easily see the 100-mile meandering valley of roads, streams, and strikes. With the Waterpocket Fold to the west and the rugged cliffs of the badlands to the east the valley makes for a dramatic furrow in the earth. This artwork was produced under the Artist in Residence Program at Capitol Reef National Park.This artwork was produced under the Artist in Residence Program at Capitol Reef National Park. #artistinresidence #capitolreefnationalpark #knitting

Old Mail Tree

The gnarled Fremont cottonwood tree in the heart of the Fruita Historic District in Capitol Reef National Park has had a long life. Planted in the late 1800s, it has lived longer than expected. Starting in 1918, it was the place where mail was transferred from a carrier in Torrey to another carrier continuing downriver. Later, mailboxes were attached to the tree giving the settlers a place for contact with the outside world. I spent a happy day in September designing and knitting this quick knit while sitting under the old tree. This artwork was produced under the Artist in Residence Program at Capitol Reef National Park.. This artwork was produced under the Artist in Residence Program at Capitol Reef National Park.

Wingate Sandstone

Wingate sandstone is found all over the Colorado Plateau and is one of the stars of Capitol Reef National Park. Forming sheer cliffs and spectacular bluffs it ranges in color from light yellow to dark orange to rusty red depending on its age of oxidation. Wingate was the first thing that caught my attention during my stay at Capitol Reef. I love the deep rugged texture of the cliff faces. I tried to capture that texture in something that would hug you like the landscape does. This artwork was produced under the Artist in Residence Program at Capitol Reef National Park.

Fruita

The historic town of Fruita, within Capitol Reef National Park, is no longer inhabited by pioneers. But visitors can still pick ripe fruit from the lush orchards under the looming orange cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold. I was lucky enough to live there for the month of September and couldn’t get enough of this colorway -- green against the orange cliffs. This artwork was produced under the Artist in Residence Program at Capitol Reef National Park.

Rabbitbrush

Rabbitbrush was in spectacular bloom last September in Capitol Reef when I was staying there. The yellow flowers are so beautiful next to the red rock. I knit this piece from a skein of hand spun and hand dyed alpaca that I bought at a shop in Torrey. It is locally grown at Circle Cliff Ranch from an alpaca named Probee and hand spun by Diena. I designed Rabbitbrush specifically for this local yarn. 

From the pattern:

Rabbitbrush is a member of the Aster family with yellow flower heads arranged in dense, rounded or flat-topped clusters at the ends of the branches. Rabbitbrush flowers bloom from August to October as other plants are fading, providing vivid fall color against the red rock canyon walls in Capitol Reef. This artwork was produced under the Artist in Residence Program at Capitol Reef National Park.

Sandstone Cliff

The holidays were productive for getting artwork done for my artist-in-residence for Capitol Reef. First one finished was this marathon shawl inspired by the beautiful sandstone cliffs that surrounds the park. I really miss living in the park but luckily I can surround myself with the landscape with this beauty. 

From the pattern:

Nearly 10,000 feet of sedimentary strata were deposited in Capitol Reef National Park. This layer upon layer of sedimentary rock records nearly 200 million years of geologic history. Rock layers in Capitol Reef reveal ancient environments as varied as rivers, swamps, deserts, and shallow oceans. Fossils found in these rocks give clues that these sandstone layers were deposited when the region was at or near sea level, far below the current elevation. This artwork was produced under the Artist in Residence Program at Capitol Reef National Park.